Hernial supporter



y 1966 A. WATSON HERNIAL SUPPORTER Filed July 22, 1964 FIGI.

1 9. i; 5 WM United States Patent 3,259,125 HERNIAL SUPPORTER Arthur Watson, 2504 Glenwood Ave., Eldorado, Ill. Filed July 22, 1964, Ser. No. 384,318 8 Claims. '(Cl. 12896) This invention relates to hernial supporters.

This invention is an improvement over my United States Patent 2,926,664 for Hernia Support, issued March 1, 1960.

Persons having hernias frequently use pads or bulbs to restrain the hernia and prevent strangulation which might occur if the hernia were not restrained. The bulbs or pr-otuberances on the pads are usually placed directly against the hernia to prevent protrusion of the organ through its opening. The bulbs or pads may be pressed against the hernia by straps or springs that may force the pad or bulb into the hernia opening, causing harm and discomfort to the user. Also, body movement may displace the pads or bulbs from the hernia to permit protrusion of the organ or even open the hernia. Leg straps are often provided to attempt to limit movement of the pads, but they are not genera-11y effective and may irritate the body while limiting body movement.

Among the several objects of this invention may be noted the provision of a supporter for hernias which can be worn without discomfort, and which can be used. without opening the hernia; the provision of a hernia supporter as described wherein the hernia is supported from beneath the hernia; the provision of an improved hernia supporter which will correctly support the hernia during normal body movements, such as bending or stooping; the provision of an improved hernia supporter which can be fitted to the wearer without unduly confining the body or irritating the body; and the provision of an improved hernia supporter wherein the pressure of the supporter can be easily adjusted. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated,

FIG. 1 illustrates a supporter of this invention positioned on the torso of the body;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the outside of the supporter of FIG. 1 with the belt removed;

FIG. 3 is an elevation of the inside of the supporter;

FIG. 4 is a view of the top of the supporter taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, a hernial supporter of this invention is shown to comprise an elongated body portion 1 adapted to be held against the lower abdomen of the torso T of a person by a belt 3. Two spaced flexible leg portions 5 project from the lower edge of the body and curve inwardly for engagement with the torso. Each leg 5 has a shallow recess 7 in its body-engaging surface adapted to receive and accommodate a hernia with the lower portion 9 of each leg being beneath the hernia and pushing in and up against the torso to support the hernia.

More particularly, the generally rectangular body 1 has a surface 11 which may be referred to as its inside surface and which is placed against the torso T. The lower portion of body 1 is thicker than the upper portion (FIG. 5) and the lower half of surface 11 is inclined relative to the top half. The opposite surface 13 is flat and may be referred to as the outside surface. Loops 15 on outside surface 13 provide openings 14 through which belt 3 is threaded to attach the belt to the body 1. The belt may be made of an elastic material so that it can be stretched tightly about the torso T to press inside surface 11 of the supporter against the torso with the desired pressure.

The body 1 and legs 5 are integrally formed and may be made from a soft rubber, a rubber-like material, plastic, etc. Each leg 5 has a curved inside surface 17 in which recess 7 is located. Surface 17 is a continuation of inside surface 11 of base 1. legs 5 are thinner than the body 1 where they join the body (see FIG. 5) and a shoulder 19 is formed in each leg 5 near body 1. Legs 5 may flex at shoulder 19 as a result of pressure from the torso. The finger-like end 9 of each leg may be deflected to its FIG. 5 dotted line position by contact with the torso. From the deflected position, legs 5 press inwardly and upwardly against the torso beneath the hernias for holding hernias in and up.

The outside and inside surfaces 17 and 21 of the legs may have a smaller radius of curvature at ends 9 than they do along other portions of the legs, such as the portions adjacent the base 1. The legs 5 are wider at their juncture with body 1 than they are at their lower ends 9, thereby making ends 9 readily flexible relative to body 1.

Bounding recesses 7 in surface 17 is a narrow ridge 23 which extends around the periphery of the surface 17 of both the legs 5 and along the adjacent lower edge portion of the body 1. The recesses 7, which are shallow and deepest adjacent ends 9 of the legs, are adapted to receive and accommodate hernias with the ridge 23 confining the hernias when inside surface 17 of the leg is pressed against the torso.

At each side of the body 1 in the inside surface 11 is a bend line 25 which extends from the side edges of the body inwardly toward each other. The surface 11 between bend line 25 and legs 5 is tapered relative to the upper portion of the body 1 (see FIG. 5). When pressure is placed on the hernia supporter, such as by bending or stopping, the body 1 can flex at bend line 25 as legs 5 bend at shoulders 19. At the center of body 1 the bend lines 25 curve downwardly into spaced bend lines 27 which extend transverse to the line 25 from the lower edge of the body 1. Bend lines 27 and the valley 28 therebetween permit flexing of the end portions of body 1 such as occurs when the supporter is flexed to conform to the round shape of the torso.

In using a hernial supporter of this invention, the belt 3 is threaded through the loops 15 and the inside surfaces 11 and 17 of the supporter are placed against the torso with the ends 9 of the legs beneath the hernia. The supporter may be flexed at bend lines 27 and valley 28 as it is fitted against the abdomen. The belt 3 is then passed around the torso of the person and tightly fastened about the waist as illustrated in FIG. 1. The desired pressure on the torso is obtained by adjusting the belt. When the belt is tightened, the legs 5 flex to their FIG. 5 dotted line position as a result of contact between the torso and the legs. Flexing of the supporter occurs at bend lines 25 and shoulders 19 to urge the ends of the legs in a generally arcuate path. The resistance of the legs 5 to this bending results in constant pressure against the hernia by the surfaces of recesses 7. The hernia is received in the recess 7 bounded by the ridge 23 and the legs will not be displaced relative to the hernia during normal movements of the torso T. The ends 9 of the legs are located beneath hernias and, due to the pressure caused by flexing of the legs, the ends 9 are pressed inwardly and upwardly to hold and support the hernias. It will be seen from FIG. 5 that further tightening of belt 3 tends to further flatten the legs 5 against the torso and move them beneath body 1, thereby increasing the pres sure of the legs against the torso.

While typical prior art pads or bulbs are urged directly against the hernia opening through which the organ tends to project, the supporter of the present invention receives or accommodates the hernia on the recess 7 and the hernia is supported by the leg ends 9 which press in and up from beneath the hernia. Since ends 9 are beneath the normal opening of the hernia, they do not open the hernia or interfere with closing of the hernia opening. Furthermore, movement of the torso T does not tend to push the leg ends 9 into the hernia opening. Since belt 3 constitutes the only means for attaching the supporter to the torso, there are no belts or straps around the legs of the wearer which tend to irritate and restrict normal body movements. A supporter of this invention may be used to hold inguinal, femoral or scrotal hernias.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A hernial supporter comprising an elongate body, means attached to the body for holding the body on the torso, two spaced legs projecting from the lower portion of the body, the legs being curved from the body for engagement with the torso, each leg having a shallow recess in the torso engaging surface adapted to receive and accommodate a hernia with the lower portion of the legs being beneath the hernia to push in and up from beneath the hernia, the legs being flexible relative to the body for maintaining contact between the supporter legs and the torso.

2. A supporter as set forth in claim 1 wherein said legs are wider at the body than at the ends, the radius of curvature of the ends of the legs being smaller than the curvature adjacent the body.

3. A supporter as set forth in claim 1 wherein the body has a bend line extending thereacross from one edge to the other, the legs being bendable about said line for maintaining contact between said legs and the torso during movement of the torso.

4. A supporter as set forth in claim 3 wherein said body is thicker below the bend line than it is above the bend line, said legs projecting from the thicker portion and being thinner than the thicker body portion.

5. A hernial supporter comprising an elongate body having an inside surface adapted for engagement with the torso of a person, a belt attached to said body for holding the supporter against the torso, two spaced legs projecting rearwardly from the lower edge of said body, said legs each having an inside surface for engaging the torso and forming a smooth continuation of the inside surface of said body, said legs being flexible and wider at said body than at the outer ends thereof, the inside surface of each of said legs having a shallow recess bounded at the sides and bottom by a narrow ridge for accommodating and confining hernias, said legs each being curved along its inside surface from said body to the outer end of the leg with said outer end being beneath a hernia in said recess to push in and up from beneath the hernia.

6. A supporter as set forth in claim 5 having a bend line extending across said body above said legs and a second bend line in the body transverse to the first bend line at the center of the body between the legs.

7. A supporter as set forth in claim 5 wherein said body and legs are integrally formed.

8. A supporter as set forth in claim 5 further including loops on said body through which said belt is threaded for fitting the supporter at the waist of the torso, said belt constituting the sole means for fitting the supporter to the torso.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,605,762 10/1952 Balistrieri 128-96 2,926,664 3/1960 Watson 128-100 FOREIGN PATENTS 340,255 12/1930 Great Britain.

ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner. 

5. A HERNIAL SUPPORTER COMPRISING AN ELONGATE BODY HAVING AN INSIDE SURFACE ADAPTED FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE TORSO OF A PERSON, A BELT ATTACHED TO SAID BODY FOR HOLDING THE SUPPORTER AGAINST THE TORSO, TWO SPACED LEGS PROJECTING REARWARDLY FROM THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID BODY, SAID LEGS EACH HAVING AN INSIDE SURFACE FOR ENGAGING THE TORSO AND FORMING A SMOOTH CONTINUATION OF THE INSIDE SURFACE OF SAID BODY, SAID LEGS BEING FLEXIBLE AND WIDER AT SAID BODY THAN AT THE OUTER ENDS THEREOF, THE INSIDE SURFACE OF EACH OF SAID LEGS HAVING A SHALLOW RECESS BOUNDED AT THE SIDES AND BOTTOM BY A NARROW RIDGE FOR ACCOMMODATING AND CONFINING HERNIAS, SAID LEGS EACH BEING CURVED ALONG ITS INSIDE SURFACE FROM SAID BODY TO THE OUTER END OF THE LEG WITH SAID OUTER END BEING BENEATH A HERNIA IN SAID RECESS TO PUSH IN AND UP FROM BENEATH THE HERNIA. 